Garmin Varia eRTL615 Radar for E-Bikes

Garmin released the new Varia eRTL615 which is a radar to detect vehicles behind you and rear tail light which plugs directly into many popular electric bikes to run right off the e-bike battery. What makes this smart light and radar special and who is it for? Let’s dig into it.

Garmin Varia eRTL615, Rearview Radar and Tail Light
$299.00
Pros:
  • Battery powered from your compatible e-bike
  • Hard mounted to prevent theft
Cons:
  • Expensive compared to other Varia
  • Lacking camera
Amazon
11/07/2024 10:26 am GMT

Garmin Varia eRTL615 Electric Bike Radar Details

  • Price: $299 without cables, $329 with cables
  • E-Bike Compatibility: There are options to purchase with cables that will plug directly into your motor for Bosch, Shimano, and USB-A.
  • Additional power supply cables: $30 if you want to be able to switch between bikes
  • Light modes: continuous light mode, peloton, night flashing mode, day flashing mode
  • Lumen: 20 in continuous light mode, 8 in peloton mode, 29 in night flashing mode, 65 in day flashing mode
  • Power supply: 6 to 12 V DC, maximum 1.6 W
  • Connectivity: ANT+®, BLE
  • Degree of protection: IPX7
  • Pairing: Pair with select Garmin devices, or your smartphone with the Garmin Varia or Ride with GPS apps.

Pros and Cons of the Garmin Varia eRTL615

I really have a confused take on this and hope that testing the unit will help shake things out for me. Is having a plugged-in version really worth the price?

The price and lack of a camera or brake light seem to make this brand-new light missing current technology. Until I have mine installed and tested I won’t be too hard on the light so here are my pros and cons for now!

Pros of the Garmin Varia eRTL615:

  • No Charging Needed – this honestly is the only pro most people will need unless they are wanting the camera of the RCT715 (and you should be riding with a cycling camera!)
  • Syncs with select Garmin, Wahoo, or your smartphone – Many people aren’t comfortable turning to look for cars, and that is what this device is used for. I also really appreciate their “heads up” app.
  • Super Bright – Daytime running claims that it is visible up to 1 mile away but has 4 different light options.
  • Movable – Have multiple e-bikes? Buy additional power supply cables and move the light quickly between bikes.

Cons of the Garmin Varia eRTL615:

  • The Price – It is $100 (technically $130 with cable) more than the rechargeable Varia RTL515 and only $70 cheaper than the Varia RCT715 which has a built-in camera.
  • Lack of Video Camera – I’m disappointed that this new model doesn’t have the bike dash camera like the Varia RCT715. Having constant power, radar, and a camera to document it all would have really pushed this into a unique class of smart bike tech.
  • Lack of Brake Light – even a basic accelerometer-triggered brake light would have been nice
Garmin Varia App

Who’s the Garmin Varia eRTL615 For?

The Garmin Varia has become a requirement for many cyclists that ride around cars. Being able to see that someone is behind you up to 150 yards away helps give folks a piece of mind and not be startled.

Now, I would argue a nice rear mirror can do some of this, but you may not want to be looking at that or like the aesthetics. The main reason I use the Varia is for the connection with My Bike Radar which will tell me how many vehicles passed me, where they passed me on a map, AND an estimate of their speed when passing me. Note: you need a compatible Garmin synced with a Varia for all this to work.

Buy a Garmin Varia

 
 
 
Pros:
  • Battery powered from your compatible e-bike
  • Hard mounted to prevent theft
Pros:
  • Easy to Use
  • Syncs with major GPS brands
  • Dedicated app
Pros:
  • Camera with OK footage
  • Easy to Use
  • Syncs with major GPS brands
  • Dedicated app
Cons:
  • Expensive compared to other Varia
  • Lacking camera
Cons:
  • Lacking camera
  • Lacking alarm function
  • Very easy to steal
Cons:
  • Larger size
  • No built in alarm
  • No front facing option
$299.00
$199.99$175.50
$399.99$373.99
Pros:
  • Battery powered from your compatible e-bike
  • Hard mounted to prevent theft
Cons:
  • Expensive compared to other Varia
  • Lacking camera
$299.00
Pros:
  • Easy to Use
  • Syncs with major GPS brands
  • Dedicated app
Cons:
  • Lacking camera
  • Lacking alarm function
  • Very easy to steal
$199.99$175.50
Pros:
  • Camera with OK footage
  • Easy to Use
  • Syncs with major GPS brands
  • Dedicated app
Cons:
  • Larger size
  • No built in alarm
  • No front facing option
$399.99$373.99
11/07/2024 10:26 am GMT

5 thoughts on “Garmin Varia eRTL615 Radar for E-Bikes”

  1. Any testing with this yet? I am thinking of moving away from my RCT715 now that I have an eBike, but don’t know if I’m ready to drop having a camera. Also, if this is hooked up to a Bosch Performance Line Speed and Purion setup, do I need to bring it to a shop to have them add the light feature? Lastly, how do lights attached to the motor affect battery life/range? Thanks!

  2. Good Morning. So, any long term review on this. Just got a new ebike and thinking about selling my Garmin Headlight and Varia RCT715 to run integrated lights. I’m a little worried about losing the camera feature, and also how these might affect range. Any information on these would be great.

      1. Thanks for getting back to me. Well, in general, how do most other front and rear lights affect range? Is it better to get a dynamo front hub system instead?

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